Q: So, I suppose you learn a lot more, than maybe from a domestic game, in the sense you see Nicolas Kuhn doing jobs you don’t normally expect him to do. It’s a good learning curve for everyone.
Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, listen, I think a lot of our game domestically is you’re very much on the front foot and then you’re defending is very much in a counter-pressing format, because you’re getting the ball back, you’re spending a long time with the ball, then you get it back quickly and you’re counter-pressing, and then you’re going again. Going to Europe, of course, you then happen to be tactically a little bit more cuter, because you’re spending less time with the ball at times. And also, you know that the opponent’s level can hurt you if you’re out of position. So, it’s what’s asked of wingers here anyway, but of course, it’s highlighted even more when you get to that level. You have to do the work, you have to close spaces, you’ve got to press, you’ve got to run back, and then you can enjoy the ball.”
Q: You said after the Dortmund game that you would learn from this. Is that the thing that satisfies you the most, is that the team did take on board the messages, and the distances between each other were perfect. I mean, you seem to have really, you know, taken on board what had to be done to compete at that level.
Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, I just think it was more about just being concentrated. I think Dortmund, believe it or not, had the same idea. But when you lose the goal so quickly, and you can then end up getting frazzled, and then you have that quality, then everything, then the distances then become much greater. Like you say, the press isn’t quite right, the gaps start to open up, and then it becomes a little bit more open than what you would like it.
Our game is all based on connection. When we haven’t got the ball, and when we have got the ball, lots of connections. But defensively, you had to be clear in our thinking, and that was the great learning from that Dortmund, is that you know, if you concede, OK, it can happen at the level, but don’t lose your concentration and don’t lose your commitment in what you’re doing.
“Because if you go on your own, top teams will pick you off. And that was why I expected it, because of the group, the group is such an honest group, the group that wants to learn, but then to take it to that level and perform as they did, and be very well organised and compounded, it’s a huge testament to them and their courage. Because like I said, you have that Dortmund game, you’re now going away to an opponent equally as dangerous, if not more. And to produce that level was great for the players. So, it shows you that they want to learn.”
Q: How impressed were you with Auston Trusty’s performance, in terms of just him establishing himself as a Celtic player?
Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, I thought it was immense in the game. I thought him and Scales both were. But Scales I’ve seen now for a long time, one of his great superpowers is defending the box. He’s great at defending, and when it comes in, he puts his head on it.
“For Auston, yeah, big admiration, especially since he’s come in. He’s a player that’s been playing on the wrong side, virtually all his time, but he’s just got on with it and coped with it. But then you see one of the big reasons why we did bring him in, his ability to leap and defend in the box, he’s really powerful with his head. But also his speed, there were a couple of recovery runs in behind, he’s super quick and he got there on a couple of occasions. So, I was so, so pleased for him. Because sometimes you need a big performance like that at the big clubs to really show your value. But, yeah, he’s settled in really, really well and I’m really pleased for him.”
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